Believe it or not, you can stick your hand into one of these volcanoes!

Dip your hands into the cool, creamy mud of these tiny natural wonders

[Steve]

[Chip & Chelsea]

A good way to see the volcanoes is to take a one-hour bus ride from the capital city, Baku, to the small town of Gobustan. From there, a large field of mud volcanoes is only a taxi ride away. Upon reaching the field, visitors will find themselves in an alien (strange, unfamiliar) landscape dotted with dozens of volcanoes. They will be delighted as the mud inside these vents and cones gurgles and pops. Of course, visitors can’t leave without sticking their hands into the cool and creamy mud, which is believed to have curative (healing) properties.Since the mud volcanoes have been named a finalist in the New 7 wonders of Nature campaign, local officials both expect and fear more tourists. In order to protect these natural treasures, the Azerbaijani government has declared (identified, defined) several mud volcanoes protected sites. The Lok-Batan mud volcano, the most active and most famous of the bunch, is currently awaiting confirmation as a UNESCO World Heritage site.The mud volcanoes of Azerbaijan may not be as awe-inspiring as gigantic volcanoes, but they offer visitors a fun and muddy way to connect with nature.

[Traditional Chinese Translation]

[More Information]

The Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape is one of Azerbaijan’s most famous tourist sites. Just outside the village of Gobustan, this area contains over 6,000 ancient rock carvings or petroglyphs. The carvings are found in caves and along outcroppings of rock. The oldest carvings date back to the 12th century B.C. More recent carvings include graffiti written by Roman soldiers 2,000 years ago.

[Ashley & Ken]

K: Hey, Ashley. I’m looking for this place. Do you know where it is?A: Let’s see. Oh, that’s not far from here. It’s only a taxi ride away.K: Only a taxi ride away? Isn’t a taxi ride a long distance?A: Well, of course, you can ride a taxi long distance. But that’ll cost a lot of money. What I meant was it’s a short taxi ride away. And you’ll pay just little above the basic fare.K: Oh, I see. Are there any other expressions that refer to a short distance?A: Yes, there are. And I think Linda would be a good person to answer that question. Let’s go to her.K: Okay.

L: You know, there are a several good phrases to learn that refer to a short distance. One is a hop, skip and a jump. For example, Maggie just lives a hop, skip and a jump away from here. Another one is a stone’s throw away. You can say your next door neighbor lives just a stone’s throw away. And finally, there is the phrase within shouting distance. And that of course means someone is close enough that they can hear you shout. All of these phrases refer to a short distance.

K: Hmm, they all sound very useful.A: Yep, they are good phrases to learn.K: But Ashley, you said this place that I’m going to is a taxi ride away. Now that’s much farther than a stone’s throw or a shouting distance.A: You’re right, Ken. When we say within a stone’s throw, we usually refer to a distance much greater than one to throw a stone, and it’s the same with a hop, skip and a jump. The actual distance usually can’t be covered by a hop, skip and a jump.K: even if you are an Olympic athlete?A: Even if you’re an Olympic athlete.K: So, they are exaggerations.A: Yes, they are. And that’s what makes English such a fun language.K: Umm, you’ve got the point there. Well, thanks for your help.A: You’re welcome.

[課文] Volcanoes usually generate fear, and for good reason, since their eruptions have been known to wipe out entire towns and villages.[Tips] for good reason ~ what was just mentioned is obvious. Use this sentence to emphasize how true or understandable something is.－＞Volcanoes usually generate fear, and this is obvious since their eruptions have been known to wipe out entire towns and villages.*Richard doesn’t like that restaurant, and for good reason – their service isn’t very good.*Kyle doesn’t want to work with Susan – and for good reason. He had a bad experience working with her before.

[Michelle]

Alien(n.) (formal) 外國人，外星人。(adj.) 外國的(=foreign)，陌生的(=unfamiliar,strange)，(+ to sb/sth)不相容的。*an alien environment 陌生的環境，alien customs 陌生的風俗習慣。*Such principles are alien to our religion. 這些原則與我們的宗教信仰牴觸。*Her behavior is alien to our ethical values. 她的行為和我們的倫理標準格格不入。Dot(n.) 小圓點，少量，一點兒。(v.) 1. 以小圓點標出(某物)。2. (尤用被動)place (things or people) here and there; scatter將(物或人)分佈各處，分散。On the dot(idiom) (informal)exactly on time, or at the time specified準時地，在指定的時刻。*Join the dots up to complete the drawing. 順點連線把圓畫好。*I like just a dot of milk in my tae. 我喜歡在茶裡稍摻一點牛奶。*He’s very punctual always arrives on the dot. 他很守時。*leave at 5 o’clock on the dot/on the dot of 5 o’clock 准於五點整離開。Vent(n.) (氣體或液體進出的)孔，口。(v.) 發洩，排放。Give (full) vent to sth(idiom) (formal)express sth freely(任意地)表達某事。*There is a side vent on her skirt. 她的裙子上有一個側邊的開叉。*When I get frustrated and angry, I have to vent my spleen on someone.我受盡挫折，怒火沖天時，禁不住想找誰發一頓脾氣。*He gave vent to his feelings in an impassioned speech. 他慷慨陳詞抒發感情。Gurgle(v.) (=burble) 做潺潺聲，做咯咯聲。(n.) 潺潺聲，嬰兒高興時發出的咯咯聲。*We could hear the stream gurgling down in the valley.我們可以聽到溪水流過山谷的潺潺流水聲。*The baby was gurgling happily. 那嬰兒高興得發出咯咯聲。Cure(v.) (n.) 治癒，痊癒。Curative[ˈkjurətɪv] (adj.)helping to, able to or intended to cure illness, etc有助於治療的，有療效的，以治病等為目的的。*the curative properties of a herb 藥草的治療性能。Finalist(n.) 進入決賽者，參加決賽者。*An Olympic finalist. 一位參加奧林匹克運動會決賽的選手。Confirm(v.) 證實，確認。Confirmation(n.) 證實，證明，批准，鞏固。*The announcement confirmed my suspicious. 這項通告證明了我的猜疑屬實。*After a six-month probationary period, she was confirmed in her post.經過六個月的試用期之後，她獲准正式任該職。*We are waiting for confirmation of our onward reservations.我們在等候通知預定的下一步行程是否落實。

1.impressive; making you feel respect and admiration 令人驚歎的；使人敬佩的；令人敬慕的adjective

The building was awe-inspiring in size and design. 這座建築的規模和設計氣勢宏偉。

awe/ɔː/ DJ/ɔ/ KK

noun

1.feelings of respect and slight fear; feelings of being very impressed by something/somebody 敬畏；驚歎 uncountable

awe and respect 敬畏和尊敬

awe and wonder 敬畏和驚奇

He speaks of her with awe. 他談到她時肅然起敬。

‘It’s magnificent,’ she whispered in awe. “真是壯麗。”她小聲地驚歎道。

Idiom:

be/stand in awe of somebody/something

1.to admire somebody/something and be slightly frightened of them/it 對…敬畏；對…望而生畏

While Diana was in awe o

verb

1.to fill somebody with awe 使敬畏；使驚歎 VN usually passive formal

She seemed awed by the presence of so many famous people. 見到這麼多名人出席，似乎令她驚歎不已。

Derivative:

awed adjective

We watched in awed silence. 我們敬畏地默然觀看着。

[Vocabulary]

alien (adj) 陌生的,不熟悉的When Mike first moved overseas the new culture seemed so alien to him.當Mike剛剛搬到國外時，新的文化對他而言非常的陌生。Everything felt alien to us when we first moved.當我們剛搬家的時候所有的一切都感到很陌生。finalist (n) 進入決賽者,參加決賽的人All of the finalists in the singing contest will sing two songs at the competition.這個歌唱比賽所有的決賽入圍者都會在比賽中唱兩首歌。One of the finalists dropped out of the game due to an injury.有位決賽的入圍者因為受傷而退出比賽。confirmation (n) 確定,確證The patient is waiting on confirmation from the hospital indicating the tumor is benign.病人在等醫院的確認，確定腫瘤是良性的。Your order’s written confirmation will be sent to you by mail.你書面的訂貨確認單會用郵寄的方式寄給您。